Rahm Emanuel Praises Hibakusha Group for Nobel Peace Prize, Global Dedication to Nuclear Disarmament

By Hiroshi Tajima / Yomiuri Shimbun Correspondent

13:39 JST, October 12, 2024

WASHINGTON — U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel on Friday congratulated the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations — Nihon Hidankyo — after it was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

“I have been immeasurably impressed with the atomic bomb survivors I have met and their admirable dedication to building a world without nuclear weapons.” Emanuel said in a post on X. “Nuclear weapons must never be used again.”

Emanuel previously served as the Chief of Staff for former President Barack Obama. In an April 2009 speech, Obama said he was committed to pursuing a “world without nuclear weapons.” The former president was eventually awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

President Joe Biden, who was vice president during the Obama administration, has also long advocated for nuclear disarmament. Prior to taking office, he demonstrated a strong interest in adopting a “no first use” policy on nuclear weapons and in declaring deterrence and retaliation as the “sole purpose” of nuclear arms.

However, after taking office, Biden shifted his focus to maintaining the “nuclear umbrella” for U.S. allies following the increased nuclear threat from Russia, which invaded Ukraine, and China, which rapidly expanded its nuclear arsenal.

Biden became the second sitting U.S. president after Obama to visit the atomic bomb site when he attended a G7 Summit in Hiroshima in 2023. However, he made no significant appeals for nuclear abolition or disarmament during the visit.